Chiefs 2006 Season - The "Tale of Two Cities" Take

This season was, as most seasons are, really, a "best of times and worst of times." I thought I'd review this past season by highlighting the five best things that happened, as well as lowlighting the five worst things. We'll start with the worst, counting down:

5. Getting so thoroughly pasted by the Steelers. This was particularly hard to take because the Steelers were themselves having such a poor season. They were due to win one though, and we were just in the way at this point in their schedule. I will say they made up for it a bit by helping us out and beating Cincinnati in the last game of the season. The thing about this game was that it was just so discouraging watching them pour it on against us. That helpless feeling is not fun.

4. Larry Johnson getting facemasked in the Cardinals game. It was so flagrant, so criminal--yes, I don't mind using that word. Any defender who does what he did--to any player, not just our guy, should be suspended for at least half the season, if not all of it. It was frightening seeing the image of Johnson laid out there, he really could have been dead for all we knew.

3. The loss to the poorly-playing Dolphins. This was the very same kind of game we had against Buffalo last year. We go there and just can't do squat. Nothing happens for us, and it just seems so inexplicable. Why do those losses in Miami always seem to be so painful?

2. Trent Green's injury on opening day. That really put us in a hole right out of the gate. Seeing him taken off the field on a stretcher was horrible enough. That no penalties at all would be forthcoming against the Bengals player was just wrong. I guess you could say they got theirs when the Steelers knocked them of the playoffs and allowed us to get in on closing day.

1. The loss to the Browns. This was indeed the most wretched game thing that happened-- not counting the Green and Johnson injuries. Being up 28-14 in the 4th quarter, thinking this was going to legitimize us, then returning from my son's game to see we'd actually lost to this team was devestating. The realization at that moment that we were definitely not the contender I was so sure we were just a couple hours earlier-- abjectly horrific.

While these were the individual worst things, the one sustained worst thing was unquestionably the play of our offensive line. Losing Willie Roaf at the beginning of the year turned out to be way too much to overcome.

You'll also note that the playoff loss to the Colts isn't among the worst things. For me anyway, it's not there because just being in the game was a good thing. Again, at the risk of really really belaboring the point, we weren't going to do jack with that offensive line. So, when we did great for 3 minutes and scored a touchdown at the end of the third quarter, we all cheered and loved it. The rest of the game, when I don't think we even got another first down at all, we shrugged. Oh well, what are you going to do...

Okay, now to the great things. These were the best of times...

5. The win against the Broncos on Thanksgiving Day. We did precisely what we needed to do to beat this team. We just got the job done for all 60 minutes, through-and-through a solid performance, and it was sweet to see-- on the Internet since we couldn't get the NFL Network's game on my family's cable where we were celebrating the holiday. At least the inaugural NFL Network game, for what it's worth, was a Chiefs victory.

4. Damon Huard's play. The guy actually played well for the time he filled in for Trent Green. My uncle is even convinced he should have been the guy to go to whole way, and I don't think he's the only one. I think it wouldn't have mattered considering our offensive line woes, but it was good to see him come through. There was no particular game in which he excelled, so for this point I'm just going to have to go with his sustained play.

3. The win over the Chargers at home. Even though we were way ahead and let them get back into it, we won the game with a long FG from Lawrence Tynes that was very exciting to watch. And Huard's clutch play was instrumental in getting us the W.

2. The win over the Cardinals. That we ended up beating them after the Johnson facemask was sweet indeed. That we came from way behind, at their place, to get it made it that much more joyous.

And the number one great thing, is without question...

1. December 31, 2006. We came into this last day of the year and a full slate of NFL games needing four different results to occur for us to get a playoff spot. All of the them happened. Seeing us get the job done against Jacksonville, watching Santonio Holmes dive into the endzone, noting that Joe Nedney got that overtime FG to put away the Broncos... it was all a dream.

What about next year? I could take all my pot shots at what I think should happen, but I trust Carl Peterson enough to know what to do. It's a new era without Lamar Hunt, let's hope his boys can keep the Chiefs spirit vibrant and focused. As the next season approaches there may be some things on my mind, and I'll bring them up then. One thing is for sure.

We'd better get an offensive line, one that I'll go so far as to hope is as good as the one the Chiefs are famous for having.